SuSE Linux 8 to Make April Splash

Linux technology and solutions-based provider SuSE said on Wednesday that its latest Linux operating system and applications package, SuSE Linux 8.0, will be broadly available for purchase on April 22.

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Linux technology and solutions-based provider SuSE said on Wednesday that its latest Linux operating system and applications package, SuSE Linux 8.0, will be broadly available for purchase on April 22.

The German-headquartered open-source company said the new version is based on Version 2.4.18 of the Linux kernel and will offer increased security, the KDE 3 desktop, seamless installation and expanded multimedia capabilities for professional and private desktop users.

Holger Dyroff, the head of SuSe's American operation, said SuSE Linux 8.0 offers an array of security levels, including mouse-click activation of SuSE Personal Firewall 2.

In the event of theft, laptop and desktop data is protected by GNU Privacy Guard encryption, which allows only authorized users to read e-mail stored within the product. Version 8.0 also integrates professional e-mail and data security concepts and advanced security technologies, including OpenSSH, PAM and IPsec, he said.

Installation procedures have been improved, with better automated hardware detection, while the SuSE system assistant, YaST2, will detect existing Windows partitions and make suggestions for allocating hard disk space and software selection. YaST2 also now comes with a new module for the activation of high-rate data transfer modes for hard disks, Dyroff said.

"SuSE 8.0 will also include KDE 3, the latest graphical desktop for Linux, as well as KOffice with KWord, KSpread, KPresenter and an illustration module, and the e-mail client, KMail. It further enhances CD writing, viewing and editing videos and sound mixing with an editing studio and synthesizer," he said.

The product will also support more than 1,200 drivers and include a range of Linux tools, including the Apache 1.3.23 Web server and the Samba 2.2.3a file and print server for Windows networks.

The recommended retail price for SuSE Linux 8.0 Personal, which will include 60 days of installation support, is $49.95, while the Professional version will be $79.95 and have 90 days of installation support. The update to SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional Update will also be available at a cost of $49.95.

Peter Galli has been a financial/technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has been Investment Editor of South Africa's Business Day Newspaper, the sister publication of the Financial Times of London.
He was also Group Financial Communications Manager for First National Bank, the second largest banking group in South Africa before moving on to become Executive News Editor of Business Report, the largest daily financial newspaper in South Africa, owned by the global Independent Newspapers group....
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